The Withering White Lotus
by Marie Snow
Summary: Finally, it had come to an end... right? Or would an attempt at recovery from the war further the schism that already seperates the Four Nations?


**The Withering White Lotus**

_Piandao's face was lit by the gentle moon as he explained in a mystical tone, "We're all part of the same, ancient secret society—a group that transcends the divisions of the Four Nations."_

_There was a small pause and then Zuko finished in a faraway voice, "The Order of the White Lotus."_

* * *

Finally, it had come to an end. The Fire Lord could no longer continue to terrorize the opposing nations.

Aang's decision was utterly brilliant—he efficiently handled the problem while respecting what he had been taught be the monks.

As I walked through the streets of Ba Sing Se, a magnificent and optimistic feeling tickled my senses as I mulled things over; it was refreshing to watch the people work together to repair the damages from the war—these were the same people that had been brutally repressed.

Just as my brain finished comprehending that I could finally be relieved—after the past year of constant travel, battle, and unrest—I then walked into the heart of Ba Sing Se: the marketplace.

In the center of the still slightly battered market, there were five people engaged in a fist fight. I started walking over to break it up when three more got riled up and decided to join in.

I stalked over angrily and shouted, "Knock it off!"

Seven of the eight people blatantly ignored me, but one of them turned to me with an infuriated expression and raised his fist. He was going to punch me?

With absolute rage controlling my every movement, I gathered water from the air around me with a sweeping motion from my arms, and then wrapped the liquid around his lifted arm, freezing it in its place. A choking noise emitted from his throat and his eyes widened in fear as he inspected his arm.

I was ready to demand answers when I saw two more people ready to join in—this was about to become a full-out riot.

I quickly popped the cap of the water jug at my waist off and let the water flow around my arms. As quickly as it slid out of the container, I splashed in on the ground and froze it around ten pairs of feet.

Shocked, the fighting ceased and silence ensued. Their previously raised fists fell limply at their sides.

"Well now, would you all mind telling me what the problem is?" I asked coldly. Their behavior was absolutely outrageous and barbaric. We finally end one war and then they start one amongst themselves!

One man made a futile attempt to lunge forward and shouted, "Hey, lady! We don't answer to you, so why don't you back off, huh?" To prevent him from going anywhere, I allowed the ice to creep up to his knees.

I had to restrain myself from snorting—yet another _overly_ grateful person. Yes, my friends and I dedicate our time to ensuring their safety and even risk our lives for their freedom, yet, this is how we are repaid. It's not like I was expecting bows and curtsies, but being called "lady" wasn't necessarily what I was looking for.

One of the women that had been involved in the scuffle exclaimed, "Wait! Isn't that the Avatar's girlfriend?"

I couldn't help but to bow my head in an uncomfortable combination of shame and embarrassment while my cheeks were tinted a brilliant red.

"I'm not Aang's girlfriend… we're just friends…" I mumbled. Why did everyone think that we dating? Sure, we have kissed and all, but really, ever since that play… I'm not so sure about my feelings for Aang. The more I become submersed in my utter confusion, the more I wonder why I kissed him after he defeated the Fire Lord. Too bad I realized that to be a mistake _after_ the fact.

As I raised my head to regain my composure, I realized that a crowd was beginning to gather around us. If I didn't handle this situation carefully, it definitely had the potential to turn into a dangerous uprising.

I began in a commanding voice, "My relations with the Avatar are irrelevant. Please, explain the situation to me, and I will do my best to assist you all."

The man that attempted to lunge at me earlier started, "Well, I was talkin' to my buddy, Qui-pong, here about what should be done, since it's the end of the war. We agreed, but… somewhere along the line, we ended up gettin' mad and started bustin' each other's asses."

He rubbed his buff shoulder and looked like he was trying to recall the disagreement that had caused the fight in the first place.

Another man with long hair continued, "Yeah, well, people saw us, and tried to get us to stop fighting about what should be done. That's when that's when they got involved and eventually even my girly got in on it…"

"Well… what is it that you all believe should be done since the war is over?" I asked curiously. The people matter the most and getting opinions on future actions from the source would be great!

The gruff man replied, "Ain't it obvious? We want somethin' to be done about that schemin' Fire Nation! They can't just kill us all and get off scot-free!

"I'd say that the new Fire Lord needs to be doffed—he can't be trusted. His whole family is whack, and he won't be any better.

"An' after that, we need to have our troops in the Fire Nation. An' all them troops of theirs need to be doffed 'long with their leader. If we turn our heads for one second, those schemin' bastards will go off and take advantage of it. That's what needs to be done."

Absolute horror caused my throat to constrict and my heart to stop—surely it showed on my face too. How could they? After all Zuko had done to help free them, they were calling for his life? And the soldiers? Those soldiers were fighting on orders—orders of Ozai! It wasn't their choice!

Cheers began to erupt from the crowd surrounding us. That's all I needed for my horror to evolve into a terrible rage—that's all I needed for my veins to pulse with hatred, instead of revulsion.

I unfroze the ice from around their feet and retracted it into the jug at my waist.

"Well, is that what you think?" I asked with hard eyes.

This was answered by yet another wave of cheers from the crowd.

"Alright then… Since I have heard you out, you are going to hear what I think," I smirked coldly, continuing, "I think that you're all absolutely despicable, ignorant, and disgusting. We didn't save your lives so you could demand the lives of others, you filthy cowards. Try to have a broader perception of things and then reconsider your opinions."

With that, I stalked furiously out of the crowd. Once I was free of the masses of people, I rode the water to speed up—there was someone that I needed to visit.

* * *

Hello, everyone! :D Thank you for reading! This is my first-ever Avatar fic - haha, I'm sure that it's noticeable. Now that the first chapter is out, I'm going to update my profile with some useful information about my story.

I humbly apologize for any technical errors that I may have made.

I hope that you enjoyed reading!

-Marie


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